‘Just Like That’

Arora gives Hem Chand Jain (r) a tiny bite

People celebrate for a reason. And in the Club, every celebration is invariably preceded by an announcement – more so, when there’s good food to be expected. The idea, as we understand, is to enable everyone to make space in their tummy in advance – if not to starve themselves to death before landing in the Garden.
Hem Chand Jain obviously does not believe in any of this. At age 88, this former member of Big Laaf is entitled to make his own rules and celebrate as and when he pleases, with or without reason.
In the first place, he showed up out of the blue after what should seem like more than a year.

Guests in waiting... as the plates are laid out

And he marked his arrival with a sumptuous breakfast spread – home-made bread-pakora, kachori, potato chips, a couple of juicy sweets and so on.
Bijoy Gupta, for one, just could not believe his eyes. He plonked himself cross-legged, like a greedy little boy,

Bijoy Gupta feasts his eyes

right in front of the plates, hoping to make away with the lion’s share. For all his effort, he could just about claim an extra plate for his absentee wife.
“I wanted to give a treat just like that,” Jain quipped, making light of the situation -- much as everyone feverishly speculated on whether it was a marriage in the family, an engagement, or the birth or a grandchild or great-grandchild that he was celebrating. “Okay, if you must insist, I got married last week!” he announced. But that was hardly convincing and we all settled for dancing and singing in chorus, “Happy Birthday to you” – knowing well that his birthday is some time in August.
Significantly, Jain could have none of the goodies because he is on a restricted diet. His kidneys have long given way and he has to necessarily undergo dialysis thrice a week -- even as he leads a pretty hectic life shuttling regularly between Delhi and Mumbai on business. Still, he nibbled a bit of the sweet Srichand Arora force-fed him with and excused himself graciously. It was verily Hem Chand Jain’s day today.
Bihari Milwani:
Why no announcement was made in advance? Many more laughing mouths would have joined.
Geeta Latte:
Good memories!!!

Day 1825

Pic of the Week

CHUGGING ALONG: But who is that gentleman in this Ladies' Special?

He is our permanent Chairman-in-waiting. Wish him good luck. --Kiran Prakash

That gentleman in Ladies Special is none other than God (Guard) Krishna playing ras lila with gopis while the real Krishna is grazing in the hills of Southern India. --Bihari Milwani

Nice morning! --Anonymous

The Initiation

Nirmala Yadav clicks a selfie

As members of Big Laaf we have our moments in the Garden every morning. But how many of us remember the day we first walked into the Club? The so-called ‘initiation’ is pretty much routine and typically unremarkable, almost common for everybody and yet, makes for interesting reading.
Take the example of Nirmala Yadav today.
Like many others in the Garden, this sprightly young lady was taking her rounds on the walking track, occasionally casting sidelong glances towards us in amusement.

Prabha Kapoor treats us to savories

Suddenly she cut across the lawn to have a word with Mallika Kagzi. The next thing we learn is that she is Mallika’s long-lost sister. “She is my younger sister,” Mallika announced midway through the exercises. “God knows how many children like her my mother had given birth to before disappearing. They are all showing up now.”
Then turning to the new lady, Mallika got into in a mock conversation: The last I saw you, you were a tiny baby.

Geeta Latte is the 'surrogate' Chinese teacher

Where were you so for long? On the contrary I’ve been searching for you everywhere… Any idea where our mother is? Now you must never leave me… We laughed, knowing well the two were fibbing; but that generated enough warmth to accept the stranger as one of our own.
Even then, we did not know her name. Later, when she introduced herself as “Nirmala, Nirmala Yadav”, Srichand Arora joked whether she could be related to Lalu Prasad Yadav. And then Arun Patil took over, tracing the genealogy of all Yadavs on the planet, including those like her from Pune. But she was more interested in knowing for how long we exercise every morning because Mallika had warned her: “Just wait for the Chinese exercises. You cannot go till they rip the skin off your body!”
In all this, the mystery behind the disappearance of the Chinese girls has been unraveled. Since November 24, the day Shekhawat had taken off on the South India tour, Geeta Latte has been our surrogate teacher and there, Shekhawat has been mischievously checking on the phone, making peculiar Chinese noises like “Neeaow”, “Chichi”, “Melody”, “Shey-shey”… Now we understand that before leaving, he had instructed the Chinese girls not to get anywhere close to the Garden before December 4 – the day he would return. Sadly, Geeta has confirmed this after speaking to the Chinese girls.
Nirmala Yadav:
Thank you all!

Karnataka Leg

Mohammad Gulzar has sent us this beautiful snapshot of the group from Bangalore 

As attendance dips steadily to single digit at the Garden, our focus must shift to where most of our members currently are -- to where the action is. According to information reaching here, Shekhawat’s 32-member gang on the South India Tour (November 24 to December 3) has just completed the Karnataka leg and are moving onward towards Ooty by road. They should reach there by the late evening.
“The weather is absolutely heavenly,” exulted Shekhawat on the phone. “Wherever you look, you see only green and green. I have never seen so much greenery in my life. The locals tell us that it had been raining continuously for four days, but the moment we arrived, the rain stopped and the sun came out. We are all having a great time!”

In Mumbai: On a loose end 

Of all the touristy places the group has visited so far, what appears to have appealed most to all is the Brindavan Garden at Srirangapatna, near Mysore. Almost everyone would like to spend an extra night there to revisit the famous Musical and Dancing Fountain show held in the evenings. Since the place was unusually crowded yesterday, some in the group (like Khatoon Baig) could not enjoy the spectacular ‘water ballet’. “There was so much of pushing and jostling that we had to hold on to one another’s hands firmly, lest someone disappeared in the crowd,” Shekhawat narrated.
However, what has left a lasting impact on Shekhawat (as on some others as well), is the visit to ‘Ramgarh’ of Sholay fame. The place is officially known as Ramnagara (not far from Bangalore) which used to be a rocky expanse when the film was shot there in 1975. Many props and installations -- like the water tank Dharmendra had climbed, threatening “soocide” -- have since been retained and are major tourist attractions today. “Did you know they have even preserved Basanti’s tonga!” exclaimed Shekhawat.
For most members in the group, this tour is turning out to be one relaxed and glorious journey into new, undiscovered spaces, both physical and mental. They had set out with no preparation, no preconceived notion, no expectation, no hopes. So every step they take now is a happy eye-opener. Pity, this did not happen earlier.

Sanity Restored

Arun Patil's turn to conduct the exercises

Mallika Kagzi got her own back on Arun Patil over yesterday’s drama. It helped that none of the regular ‘teachers’ (including Srichand Arora and Razia Khan) were present today. So, just as the laughter round was getting over, she summoned Arun with one finger and directed him to take charge in the middle. Obediently Arun stepped in and got cracking without a murmur.
It was extremely sporting of Arun to conduct the exercises from start to finish – literally on one foot, as he hasn’t quite adjusted to his artificial leg yet.

Mallika congratulates Arun

Owing to certain technical problems, it has turned wobbly and there is always the risk of him losing balance and falling flat on his face (as it happened once). In fact, many suggested that he better take his walking stick or a chair for support, but he dismissed the idea with the vehemence of one on a singular mission to prove a point to Mallika Kagzi.
Funnily, this unusual display of bravado had the desired effect. Mallika did not expect Arun to so easily respond to her ‘challenge’ and then, last through the exercises without turning a casualty. Initially though, she heckled him saying, “Awaaz Tez” (Raise your voice), but as the exercises progressed, she became quiet and restrained – as though in silent admiration of his resilience and staying power. And in the end, when the exercises were over, she was the first to walk to the middle of the circle and congratulate Arun by shaking his hands. All was forgiven and sanity restored.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
Congratulations Arun-ji for becoming Leader of the Day and conducting the class in a befitting manner. It proves the point that a man with grit and determination can overcome any hurdle. Arun is now differently-abled and certainly, the boldest one among us!

Taking Strike

Mallika Kagzi conducts the exercises

Like an incoming batsman in a cricket match, Mallika Kagzi took guard in the middle – only that she had no clue from which direction the volleys were to come. “I shall conduct the exercises today,” she had offered bravely. “Just bear with me and prompt me when I go wrong!”
The initiative instantly triggered a round of applause – more so, because nobody expected Mallika to volunteer and secondly, both Srichand Arora and Razia Khan (the only experienced ‘teachers’ left behind by the Shekhawat gang) were under the weather this morning.
But that was only at the beginning. The moment Mallika started, Mohar Singh and Bijoy Gupta started complaining that she was not audible. She turned in their direction and started counting louder, only to have Arun Patil and Karuna Waghmare instructing her from the other end to raise her voice still higher. “We can’t hear you,” they chorused.
Mallika ignored them. Before matters could precipitate further, Arora intervened by adding his voice to Mallika’s and for a while, the exercises continued on double count.

Slanging match between Arun Patil and Mallika

People were now confused whether to follow the counts of Arora or Mallika. Let alone synchronization of movement, there was not even a semblance of coordination to get along.
At that point, Arun intervened and instructed Mallika to shut up – obviously because that would leave us to follow only one call, i.e. Arora’s. Effectively, it meant Mallika had no business to be in the middle now and she could as well join the rest of us in the circle. She walked away in a huff and Arora took her place.
But Mallika was not to forgive Arun. Soon after the exercises, she tore into him, charging him to be a congenital troublemaker, out to pick faults in others and himself being a good for nothing. In defence, Arun tried to say something about “keeping the rhythm and flow of the exercises”, but all that was drowned in Mallika’s high-pitched rage and uproar.
In all this, Razia Khan wisely kept her counsel and did not utter a word. Her scraps with Arun – long before Mallika was anywhere near the scene – is part of Big Laaf lore.
Bihari Milwani:
Well done, Mallika. Next time come with a loudspeaker; but do not give up. You will definitely be our new good and most feared teacher!
Anonymous:
Behind the success of every man, there is the good work of a woman. A corollary to this: Behind the failure of a male student, there is the beauty of his lady teacher.

Depleted Numbers

Arora conducts the exercises today

As we took our places for the exercises this morning, nearly half of Big Laaf were winging their way on the first leg of the southern tour (November 24 to December 3) to Bangalore. They took off at around 6:15 a.m. in two batches – one by Air India and the other by IndiGo – ten minutes apart from one another. Unsurprisingly, attendance at the Garden crashed from 30-plus to just about 17 members today – 11 men and six women.
“Where have the other ladies gone?”

Gupta takes Shekhawat's call

complained Bijoy Gupta, who arrived before-time, clearly intending to appropriate Shekhawat’s place in the circle. Barring Mallika Kagzi, he was not on familiar terms with any of the six ladies present. Even Razia Khan had apparently ditched him today.
“What is your problem?” egged Mohar Singh. “You are free to take Shekhawat’s place today, for the next 10 days. We will even recognize you as President of the Club till he returns.”
“Forget it,” Gupta snapped back. “I don’t want any false recognition…”
As is well known, Gupta has always coveted Shekhawat’s position – evidently, in the belief that it would beget him the same level of respect and popularity. At one point, he even promised a handsome donation to the Club, provided the latter resigned and made way for him as Club president. But that was not to be.
Today Gupta saw his chance at playing the preening peacock -- to the extent he came dressed to kill, in matching orange t-shirt, keds and red socks. Let alone an appreciative audience, there was no audience at all. He became so crestfallen that for much of the time he sulked in silence – even refusing to head the rail-gaadi round.
Ironically, the only time Gupta’s face brightened up was when Shekhawat called him around 8:00 -- just as our exercises were getting over. He informed that the group had landed safely in Bangalore.
Bihari Milwani:
Gangaram kanwara rain gaya!

Salutations

Lakshmi Naidu with Karuna Waghmare

The standard salutation in the Club has all along been either “Jai Sri Krishna!” or “As-Salaam-Alaikum!" An exception is made for Monthi Serrao, who is greeted with a “Good Morning” whenever she comes. Likewise, “Sat Sri Akal!” is reserved for Harbans Kaur while “Om Namah Shivaya” is meant for Ram Shankar Shukla only.

Kiran Prakash learns to say "Good morning"

And when Sitaram Hivarkar walks in, we have to break into “Jai Siyaram!”.
Quite clearly, the universal Indian greeting of “Namaste” is passé to us. We have become much too smart for it. We like to show off our knowledge in the many ways of saluting one another, even as the meaning might escape us. So this morning, when Mohar Singh greeted Lakshmi Naidu (a Malayalee) with the Tamil “Vanakkam!” nobody was surprised. After all, what difference does it make whether you greet someone with a “Namaskaram!” (the correct thing to say in Malayalam)

Hugs and wishes on the eve of the
South India tour

or use the Tamil word for “welcome”?
At least, Laxmi Naidu wasn't bothered. But Karuna Waghmare had an issue. She knew Mohar Singh had made a mistake, but instead of correcting him directly, pointed at Lakshmi and quipped sarcastically in accented English, “She is the Vanakkam!” When told that Lakshmi was not Tamilian, she commented, “Sure!” Seeing everyone around roll in laughter, she suspected something amiss. “English is a phunny language!” she added quickly as though to correct herself.
Meanwhile Kiran Prakash, in a bid to update his knowledge on Chinese salutations, cornered the ta’i-chi girls with the request for a polite translation of “Good Morning”. Obviously, he wanted to graduate from the level of saying “Ni Hao!” or Hello! all the time. And the Chinese girls, in their eagerness to educate him even more, taught him not just “Good Morning”, but what to say for “Good Afternoon”, “Good Evening” and “Good Night” as well. Well, Good Night??? Mmmmmm... Lucky man, he's got more than he asked for.
Kiran Prakash:
Don't be jealous, Blog Monster.
Bihari Milwani:
Everyone greets me with "Banke Biharilal Ki Jai!"
Kiran Prakash responds:
Yes, Banke Biharilal- ji. But you have stopped coming and we are unable to wish you 'Banke Biharilal Ki Jai'.
Adds Bihari Milwani:
Looks like KP is stepping in the shoes of Shekhawat with a Chinese accent!

Day 1818

Pic of the Week

WINNERS ALL!

 

Kiran Prakash:
Congratulations Banoo Apa, Prabha-ji, Yusuf-bhai and Niloufer-ji. Great celebration at the Garden. Banu Apa's treat is becoming bigger and bigger. Hope she stops at this level. Prabha-ji's 20-20 continued up to my tea this morning. BTW the Pic of the Week reminds me that the time has come for the next round of digital display of our blog's photographs. End of December or beginning of January should be ideal considering the Mumbai weather. We can call it either Christmas or New Year Party.
Ajit Choudhary:
Heartiest congratulations to all winners of Big Laaf. Keep it up!
Bihari Milwani:
Winners are actually losers because (I think) they cannot participate in future contests.
Prabha Kapoor:
Thanks Kiran-ji and Ajit-ji for your good wishes. Special thanks to Mr Bose for the excellent organization and lovely words.

Awards Presentation

Dr Mohd Farooq with Prabha Kapoor 

Banoo Apa (l) with Khatoon Baig

The day finally dawned for Prabha Kapoor to stand tall as the proud winner of the 13th Pehchaan Kaun Contest (ref post of November 1). She received a handsome crystal trophy from our guest of honour, Dr Muhammed Farooq Khan for being the only one among 30 contestants to have identified his wife, Banoo Apa from a black-and-white photograph taken when she was 22 years old (post of November 11).
“She obviously knows my wife better than I do,” quipped Dr Farooq in jest. But sure enough, for Prabha Kapoor to emerge winner had taken many of us by surprise.

Yusuf R receives trophy

Niloufer Rassiwala receives trophy

“Let's give her a big hand,” applauded Srichand Arora. “Who would have imagined that such a quiet lady who does not interact with anybody and always keeps to herself could have recognized Banoo correctly from the photo?”
“That is because she interacts with Banoo only,” retorted Jagmohan Papneja, another contestant.
While Prabha Kapoor has made no secret of “knowing Banoo Apa for eight years”, there are many in the Club who have hobnobbed with the latter for much longer. They were the ones who had come up with the most outlandish guesses, some even identifying her as Mallika Kagzi or Geeta Latte, of all the people. Her mother tongue and place of birth were the cause of a far bigger mystery.

Hostess of the mostest in the grand party

Akshat Chaudhary

Above all, to the credit of Prabha Kapoor, she had as many as 50 names (49 actually) to sift through -- every one of them an equally strong suspect – before zeroing in on Banoo Apa.
The brief but well-attended ceremony also saw Yusuf Rassiwala and Niloufer Rassiwala collect their respective trophies for the musical chairs competition at Royal Hills Resort three months back (see post and slide show of August 22). It was a rare coincidence for husband and wife to win successive rounds of the fiercely fought competition during the picnic. Our t’ai chi ladies, Wu Mei-Hua (a.k.a. Melody) and Chi Chi did the honors for the Rassiwala couple.
But in the end, it was Banoo Apa all the way. Today was her day. Had she not loaned her picture, the Pehchaan Kaun contest would have meant nothing and the trophy handed to her (by last time winner, Khatoon Baig) was a mere token of appreciation for all her cooperation and support.

Friends (and foes) cheering the winners

More than that was the massive breakfast serving today, the kind the Club had never seen before – let alone savor. A platter full of the choicest delicacies, no less than a dozen in number and with tea/ cold drinks to wash down was a treat that would befit royalty. This is Banoo Apa to us – forever supportive, large-hearted, generous and selfless in whatever she does. She expects nothing from us and nothing we do in gratitude, can ever be enough.
It was also very kind of her husband, Dr Muhammed Farooq to take time out and grace the occasion so early in the morning. In fact, this was the first time in so many years that he has visited us in the Garden.
In the end, if there was one person everybody missed, it was little Akshat Chaudhary. Pity he could not be part of today's fun and food because of a running tummy. (His father and grandparents were there though.) Let's hope Akshat recovers over the week-end and is able to join us in the Garden on Monday.
Bhaswati Bose:
Hearty CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!
Muhammed Farooq Khan:
I do not have words to thank you all for the love, kindness, hospitality and attention shown to me on Saturday. In fact, it took me one day to get out of the hangover of your love to post this comment. May you all keep loving each other irrespective of your color, gender, religion, language, caste and temperament. Once again thank you all for your hospitality. HAPPY LAAFING. And yes, keep up the good work. I do not go to the Garden, but I regularly follow, appreciate and enjoy your blog immensely.

Sealed and Delivered

Shekhawat and Yusuf Rassiwala unfurl the banner to be put up on the tour bus

For the third day running, the South India tour (November 24 to December 3) dominated all proceedings of the Club. Nothing else seemed to matter – not even the exercises, the attendance, eats and drinks,

Yusuf Rassiwala reads out details of tour programme

the Chinese girls, saalis… The focus has almost entirely and exclusively been on what would be the longest tour from the Club (and for the first time) covering three major Indian states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Finally, all was signed, sealed and delivered this morning with Shekhawat convening a meeting of the 32 members of the tour group and distributing copies of the Travel Plan – itinerary, flight and train bookings, details of hotel stay at various places, etc. Yusuf Rassiwala read out the salient features of the tour programme while Monthi Serrao and Bhaswati Bose were there to address all queries and clarifications from the group members.
As things stand, these people are scheduled to leave for Bangalore by an early morning flight on Tuesday, November 24 and during the day, catch up with some of the city's sights such as Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. (They would be in Bangalore again on November 29 before leaving for Hyderabad the next evening.) Meanwhile, they would take in Srirangapatnam enroute Mysore on November 25 and after two days

Mallika celebrates grandson Farhad's birthday

Nahid Siddiqui treats us to Mahabaleshwar chikkis

of Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hills, Bandipur Forests, Rose Garden, etc., land in Ooty by road on November 27 to cool their heels (and heads) in sub-10 degree temperature.
After two days of chilling out in all kinds of unpronounceable parks, lakes and waterfalls, they’d get started again on November 29 by road for Bangalore and onwards by train (Rajdhani) to reach Hyderabad on December 1. Apart from covering Charminar, Salarjung Museum, Golconda Fort and such other tourist attractions, the group would spend a day at Ramoji Film City on December 2. This is being pitched as a "major highlight" of the ten-day expedition. And on December 3, those still in one piece, shall take the first available flight back home.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
It is quite encouraging that the senior citizens are going on a long excursion. This shows the effect of the Big Laaf Club. The morning exercises have made the members not only active but fit as well. It is a healthy effect to be enjoyed by everyone. Good luck and bon voyage.

In Drag!

Razia Khan tutors Arun Patil

A tragic situation was given a comic twist in a way only Big Laaf can. With five days still to go for the South India tour (November 24 to December 3) and the possibility of drop-outs looming large (ref yesterday’s post), Arun Patil was today approached for moving in at short notice should the need arise. Being a non-family man and by nature extremely cooperative, he looked to be the only guy around with minimum hassles – barring the prosthetic leg (he wears for his amputated foot).
Arun was frank enough to say that he would be glad to go on any tour any time, provided he is given a separate room to himself in the hotel. “I cannot share my room with anybody,” he explained.

Karuna Waghmare (in red shoes) does a Meena Kumari  

“I am an acute diabetic and cannot hold my urine. The moment I get the urge, I should be able to relieve myself instantly. I cannot hold myself even to strap my leg on, find my walker, unzip my trousers or pajamas and so on. Chances are I’d wet the place there and then. Tell me who would want to stay in a room with such a person?”
“But you mustn’t wear pants or pajamas with drawstrings,” advised Razia Khan, eager to help.

It's party time!

“Maybe, you should start wearing lungis.”
“No-no-no… never,” Yusuf Rassiwala interjected. “Lungis are notorious for letting you down. You can never trust lungis.”
With Fehmida Khan and Mallika Kagzi joining in, the discussion veered towards tailored lungis with elastic waist bands. “Then why not wear a petticoat, plain and simple?” Razia suggested.
“That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking,” Arun confessed.

Fehmida Khan comes with her husband of 42 years

“Since changing clothes is such a big chore and there’s no one around to assist me, why shouldn’t I practice wearing petticoats at home?”
“I have a better idea,” Razia’s face brightened up. “I’ll get you a frock. That way your upper part will also be covered. Believe me, you will look beautiful…”
Meanwhile there was Karuna Waghmare regaling a select audience with her inimitable stop-start style of singing ‘boat songs’ which, she said, ought to be sung at Ooty Lake when the group gets there. The best rendition was of Ajeeb dastan hai yeh (from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, 1960) with Karuna doing a Meena Kumari on a rocking boat amid rousing laughter.
In between, Fehmida brought her husband along (in what seemed to be in response to the blog post yesterday) to continue with her wedding anniversary celebrations. Today, there were crispy maththis with hot-hot tea and of course, lots of joy, warmth and happiness to go along.
Lt Col Angad Singh (retd) from Mohali:
We Indians are famous for giving unsolicited advice. Let me also give some free advice. This pertains to the treatment of diabetes, urine retention, paralytic attack, etc. It is based on the fact that all diseases emanate from/ through our spinal chord. Under this system of Korean therapy the patient has to lie on a bed on which an electrically operated roller has been fixed. The spinal chord is massaged and thermal heat is used for the purpose. Nuga Best is a Korean Co. which has started this system. It has centres in about 100 countries. The treatment is free of charge. I am aware of a few cases where diabetic patients have shown remarkable improvement. Those who were on dialysis have also improved. The centres are running in Mumbai as well. One such is at Sai Complex, Western Express Highway, Kandivali East and the telephone numbers are 64223668 and 9022308363. Those affected may want to try this out.

Last-minute Hiccups

Shekhawat finalises the jodis -- room partners 

The process of tying up loose ends for the South India trip (November 24 to December 3) began in right earnest today. Drawing up the passenger manifest, the room sharing in hotels, seating arrangements in the tour bus, who picks up whom on the way to the airport, emergency medical kit/ first aid supplies… all these nitty-gritties need to be finalized in the next few days.
The good news is that Shekhawat’s wife, Mohankanwar has finally relented to go on the trip (ref post of November 16). This has come as a huge relief to everyone because her absence, in all likelihood, would have led Shekhawat to also drop out and that could alter the dynamics of the tour. So a 'crack team’ swung into damage-control mode on Monday and over the past two days, have succeeded in persuading Mrs Shekhawat to change her mind. (Had she refused, Arun Patil was being considered as a substitute, particularly as a room partner.) Shekhawat incidentally, has been the group leader of all tours and excursions from the Club so far.
Now for the bad news: Santosh Tyagi has reported sick.

Santosh Tyagi

Khatoon Baig

Her visits to the Garden had become quite erratic of late, largely due to a sprained left foot which remains partly swollen. She had still managed to come limping in for the last two days and did much of the exercises seated on a chair. Today she was not to be seen. According to her close friend Sunita Jajodia, she has been running high fever since last night.
Worse still is Khatoon Baig’s situation. She has been keeping quiet about it for long, but now word is out about her debilitating lung condition. Much as she is taking adequate precautions and is medically well-equipped, her confidence has taken a hit – more so, since the trip involves two days of Ooty where temperatures are expected to dip below 10 degrees. “I do not know whether I’ll be able to make it,” she said this morning. Kiran Prakash and Nahid Siddiqui were heard advising her not to be so unsure of herself and that all would turn out well in the end.

Fehmida Khan celebrates her 42nd wedding anniversary

Moreover, Khatoon has her brother, Ibrahim Qureshi and his family also accompanying her on the trip and there should be no reason for her to be over-anxious, should an emergency arise.
Meanwhile, Fehmida Khan celebrated her wedding anniversary five days in advance. She completes 42 years of 'happy togetherness' on November 23, the eve of her setting out on the South India tour. Anticipating an eleventh-hour rush in preparations, she decided to treat us in leisure this morning to an assortment of mouth-watering salties and crunchies from a popular confectionery in Mahim. If only she could have also brought her husband and grandchildren along (who are known to the Club well), the celebration would have been complete.
Nevertheless, this is wishing Fehmida many more years of marital bliss -- and of course, loads of such goodies for us in future.
Bihari Milwani:
Go on the trip with a positive mind and enjoy. During winter, the climate down south is so good that even sick persons become healthy.

Disastrous

Chaos and confusion rule supreme

One week of ta'i chi training bore fruit today. The Chinese girls were a little late in arriving at the Garden. We should have been patient enough to wait for them. Instead, in our collective wisdom we decided to quickly wrap up the ta'i chi exercises all by ourselves. And what a marvellous disaster that was!
Ta'i chi is all about patience – of gentleness and fluidity in body movement, one graceful action leading to the next in slow motion. Being rushed has no place in this Chinese doctrine. But there were many among us who had to catch up with the yoga session at 8:00 a.m.

The girls attend to Sheela Mirani

and so, the moment the second laughter round ended, we took to ta'i chi on the trot and successfully landed ourselves in a major mess.
Ideally, Geeta Latte should have taken charge in the absence of the Chinese girls. (She is the most experienced among us, having undergone training for more than a year.) But being slightly inhibited by nature, Razia Khan stepped in to help. In the absence of any coordination between the two, conflicting instructions went out and with several smarties from the circle chipping in to keep count, correcting one another and proffering unsolicited advice, chaos ruled supreme.
At one point there were three people calling the shots from the middle – Razia, Geeta and Akshat Choudhary – each totally at sea. But it was hilarious – more like the blind leading the blind. Arun Patil became so confused and exasperated that he simply collapsed in his chair and kept shouting for order to be restored. But who was listening? Before long the Chinese girls arrived and some method in the madness came about.
On a serious note, Sheela Mirani was to receive personal attention in Chinese acupressure for her paralysis-affected limbs. She had explained her problem yesterday to one of the girls and today, the seniors among them examined her and came forth with a set of exercises that apparently provided some relief to her. Let’s hope this way she would be up and moving at the earliest.

Opting Out?

Shekhawat wants to go but cannot go

The South India trip (November 24 to December 3, 2015) has hit a roadblock. With just about a week to go, the group leader, Hari Singh Shekhawat wants to opt out. He says his wife is not in good health (ref post of October 29) and would be unable to undertake “such a long and arduous trip”. And since she cannot go, he cannot go.
“I know the problems she is suffering from,” he said. “There is no point coaxing and cajoling her (to join) because it will only worsen her condition and inconvenience the whole group. So I’d suggest you people manage on your own this time.

Mohankanwar Shekhawat

Just cancel the bookings in our names and get the refunds.”
Mrs Mohankanwar Shekhawat had been coming to the Garden every morning the whole of last week. After taking a few rounds on the walking track she would join us for the exercises and just before the second laughter round, she’d leave for home. This was her daily routine. So meticulous was she about it that we assumed the worst is over with her and that by November 24, she would be fully fit and fine, raring to go on the trip.
“You don’t need to jump to conclusions so early,” advised Kiran Prakash. “There’s still a week left. Who knows she’d recover in the next few days and make it? Just give her a little time.”
Swati Punjabi too was against Shekhawat cancelling his bookings. “Assuming that your wife, in a worst-case scenario, is unable to go on the trip, cancel her bookings only. Why must you cancel your bookings also? The cancellation charges are huge. Why suffer a big loss?”
The issue is clearly not so much about losing money as it is about a sense of insecurity. For all his exaggerated machismo and derring-do in the Garden, Shekhawat is actually deeply dependent on his wife for every step he takes. She is the one who calls the shots and takes care of what he eats and when, the medicines he must take, how much water he is allowed, his resting hours, etc. Without her by his side on the trip, he would be like a babe in the woods!
And that is how things ought to be.
Bihari Milwani:
Pray to God from the bottom of your heart for the speedy recovery of Mrs Shekhawat so that she can join the trip and keep everyone in a cheerful mood.

Day 1811

Pic of the Week

NEWSMAKERS DURING THE WEEK GONE BY

Doubling the personal training dose -- three learners with six trainers. --Kiran Prakash

Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bahen. --Bihari Milwani

Children’s Day - 2015

Akshat and Hussain rejoice

Today was Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth anniversary -- Children’s Day. It was quite thoughtful of Yusuf Rassiwala to bring his grandson, Hussain to the Garden this morning. Little Akshat Choudhary was already there, as usual. A third kid also joined us for the exercises.

Shekhawat is eager to impress

But eventually, it was Shekhawat who stole the thunder today.
In a determined bid to not just awaken the child within him but to let it run amok bindaas, Shekhawat was all over the place showing off his newly acquired knowledge of Chinese (ref yesterday’s post). He accosted everyone with head bent low, exclaiming “Ni-hao!” (Hello there!). And when the tai chi girls turned up, his excitement reached new heights. Eager to prove what a good student he can be, he rattled off all the three phrases he had been taught (in no particular order) yesterday, only to be saddled with some additional Chinese words as homework for Monday.
Such childish exuberance did not go unnoticed.

Bijoy Gupta

Razia Khan

As expected, it elicited strange looks and snide remarks (but in good humour) from various quarters. Shekhawat could hardly care anyway. He waxed eloquent in his limited vocabulary and when the time came, performed his balle-balle dance with great vigour while the Chinese girls glided gracefully, demonstrating the ta’i chi steps. “This is what happens when a crow wants to imitate the gait of swans,” remarked Nahid Khan, thoroughly amused by Shekhawat’s unprovoked antics.
But Bijoy Gupta was greatly alarmed. “Isko roko,” he warned. “Nahin toh Cheen chala jayega” (Stop this man or else he’ll run away to China!) Razia Khan took Shekhawat aside and reasoned that he owes it to his saalis to remain faithful to them and not be swayed by extraneous elements. “This is not right,” she reprimanded him.
Realising that all her advice was falling into deaf ears, she arrived at the profound conclusion: “All men are the same!”

Happy Augury

Swati Punjabi celebrates with chocolates

Today was Bhai Dooj, the last day of the five-day Diwali festivities in Mumbai. Swati Punjabi lent a finishing touch to the celebrations by distributing chocolates after the exercises. Today was her daughter, Malavika’s birthday and the chocolates were picked up by her from a recent trip to Bangkok on a film shoot. It was extremely kind of her to remember us in the midst of her hectic schedule.

Shekhawat

We thank Malavika for the gesture and wish her many happy returns of the day.
Meanwhile, the process of integrating the ta’i chi warm-up exercises into our regular workout routine is being straightened out. Considering that these exercises are not physically-intensive or time-consuming, it is hardly surprising that right from

Near full attendance for the tai-chi acupressure exercises

Sheela Mirani to Ved Prakash Grover, Yusuf Rassiwala and Harbans Kaur, almost all the members want them to be included in our daily regimen.
The only problem is that these new exercises could get in the way of those who have to attend the yoga session scheduled at 8:00 a.m. daily. So in order to enable them enjoy the best of both worlds – ta’i chi and yoga -- it was decided that from tomorrow, the Chinese girls would step into the circle the moment we wrap up the second laughter round and take the exercises forward without any interruption. That way, we may be able to save a few precious minutes.
On a lighter note, there’s Shekhawat, who has taken upon himself to learn Chinese from today. His homework for the day is parroting three critical words: Nǐhǎo! (hello), Xièxie! (thanks) and Zàijiàn! (goodbye). How he puts this vocabulary to use remains to be seen – and heard.
Ajit Choudhary:
I too am trying to learn a few Chinese words: chow eñn (good morning), ne how (hello), ne how maa (how are you), xie xie (thank you), chai cheae (bye bye)...
Bihari Milwani:
To impress the Chinese girls, Shekhawat will have to learn not only Chinese words but how to cook Chinese food also.